Apparatus for purifying and drying air.



No. 643,396. Patented Feb. l3, mm.

v R. m. BIRDSALL & c. L. Knum. A APPARATUS FOR PURIFYINE AND'DRYING AIR.

(Application filed July 30,1597.

{No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 643,396. Patented Feb. 13,1900.- R. mamnsMa. & c.-L. KRUM. APPARATUSFDRPURIFYING AND DRYING AIR.

(Application filed July so, i897.)

2 Sheets$heet 2.

(No Model.)

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. should be maintained in as pure a condition.

RICHARD M. BIRDSALL AND CHARLES L. KRUM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; SAID KRUMASSIGNOR TO ROCKWELL KING, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING AND DRYING AIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 643,396, dated February13, 1900.

i Application filed July 30, 1897. Serial No. 646,474. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,RIoHARD MBIRDSALL and CHARLES L. KRUM, residents ofthe city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Purifyingand Drying Air, of which we do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact descript-ion, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification. i

In the cold storage of perishable commodities-such as eggs, fruit, orthe like-it is important not only that the air should be maintained at alow temperature, but also that the air within the cold-storage rooms aspossible. Inasmuch as it is not economically feasible to replace'thefoul or tainted air of the cold storage room by fresh air from outsidethe building, it has become desirable to provide means whereby the airwithin the cold-storage room can be maintained in a pure condition.

The object of our presentinvention is to provide a simple and effectiveapparatus for purifying and drying the air within a cold-storagecompartment, so that the necessity of admitting outside air forreplacing the foul air of the room may be avoided; and this object wehave accomplished by the features of invention hereinafter described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed outin the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a View in vertical longitudinal section on line 1 1 of Fig.2. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical cross-section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a View in horizontal section 011 line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention we employ a box-likestructure A, that is divided into various compartments and channels,which by preference are arranged as shown in the accompanying drawings.In the lower part of the box or casing A is placed a tank B forcontaining water whereby the air will be washed. \Vithin the tank B andextended from end to end thereof is the perforated pipe C, that connectsby a short pipe 0 with a suitable blower D, that is located within anopen compartment E, formed at one end of the box or casing A. In orderto maintain the supply of water within the tank B at a proper level, weemploy a watersupply pipe f and an overflow-pipe f, that leads to avdrain-pipef and, if desired, also a short branch f of the drain-pipemay connect to the bottom of the-tank B in order that the contents maybe removed therefrom. Above the tank B is formed a compartment G forcontaining the condenser-plates G, these condenser-plates consisting,preferably, of perforated sheet-metal plates, the edges of which restupon brackets g, attached to the side walls of the compartment G.Preferably the condenserplates G are curved or arched, as shown, inorder to insure the return of water of condensation to the tank B. Theupper end of the condenser-chamber Gris connected with one or morecompartments that hold trays or plates containing chlorid of lime orlike deliquescent material, whereby the air will be dried after it hasbeen Washed. In the preferred form of the invention,which is that shownin the accompanying drawings,

the. trays H for chlorid of lime or the like .Will be held within thethree compartments K, M, and N, the compartment K being open at its topand communicating by a channel with the bottom of the compartment M,while the top of this compartment M is open and communicates by channel'm with the bottom of the compartment N, which lastnamed compartment isfurnished with a discharge pipe or aperture at, through which thepurified and dried air will be discharged.

By reference more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings it willbe seen that the front of each of the compartments is provided with asuitable door, whereby access is had to the compartment for the purposeof removing the trays in order to replenish the supply of chlorid oflime or the like that from time to time may be necessary. The bottom ofthe compartment M is shown as provided with a drip-pipe m, having atrap-cup m at its lower end, so that the water and lime dripping fromthe compartment M may pass down into the chamber or compartment G,whence it will fall into the tank B. At the bottom of the compartment Nis also placed a drain-pipe n through which the water and lime may drainfrom such compartment.

From the foregoing description and by reference to the arrows in Fig. 1of the drawings the operation of our improved apparatus will be seen tobe as follows, viz: Air will be delivered by the blower D through theperforated pipe 0 beneath the water within the tank B, and will thus bewashed. As the air rises from the top of the tank B it will pass upthrough the condenser-plates G, and a large part of the moisture carriedby the air will condense upon the surface of these plates and drip backinto the tank B. After leaving the condenser-plates G the air will passto the bottom of the compartment K, thence up through the trays H,containing chlorid of lime or the like, thence down through the channel70 to the bottom of the compartment M, thence up through the trayswithin the compartment M, thence into the top of the channel on and downthis channel to the bottom of the compartment N, thence up through thetrays H within this compartment, and, finally, out through thedischarge-pipe a at the top of the'compartment N, It will thus be seenthat the air taken from the interior of a storage-room will be firstwashed in the tank B and then partially dried by the condensation of itsmoisture by the plates G, and, finally, dried by the chlorid of limewithin the trays H, so that as the air is discharged again into thestorage-room it will be in pure and dry condition. WVe prefer to employthe condenser-plates G because these plates serve, by the condensationof a large part of the moisture carried by the air, to save the limewithin trays H, thus not only effecting a material economy in the amountof lime employed, but avoiding the necessity of frequently replenishingthe trays. The trays H are shown assupported by angleirons or bracketsh, attached to the side walls of their respective compartments, thetrays being endwise removable from the compartments; but it is obviousthat any convenientmeans may be employed for holding the chlorid of limewithin the compartments in such manner that the air maybe freely forcedtherethrough.

While we have illustrated what we prefer as the embodiment of ourinvention, we do not wish the invention to be understood as restrictedto the precise details of structure or arrangement hereinbefore setforth.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus for washing, drying and purifying air, comprising aninclosing casing having therein a tank for containing water whereby theair will be washed, a submerged pipe for delivering air beneath thesurface of the water within said tank, a drying-chamber containing traysof chlorid of lime through which the washed air will be passed, saidchamber being in communication with the water-tank and acondenser-chamber provided with condenser-plates and arrangedintermediate the water-tank and the chlorid-oflime chamber,'saidcondenser-plates serving to remove a large part of the moisture from theair after it leaves the water-tank and before it passes through thechlorid-of-lime trays whereby the wasteful deliquescence of the chloridof lime is checked.

I 2. An apparatus of the character described comprising a tank B forcontaining water and provided with a perforated air-deliverypipe; acondensing-chamber Garranged above said tank 13 and provided with aseries of condenser-plates G, a compartmentKconnected with the upper endof said condensing-chamber G and containing trays, and tray-compartmentsM and N, the bottom of the com-,

partment M being connected to the top of the compartment K, and thebottom of the compartment N being connected by a suitable channel withthe top of the compartment M whereby the supply of air after leaving thetank B may be forced up through the condensing-chamber and thencethrough the several compartments containing chlorid-oflime trays,substantially as described.

RICHARD M. BIRDSALL.

CHARLES L. KRUM.

Witnesses:

OLIVER O. DENNIS, ALBERTA ADAMICK.

